Show THE HAND OF THE PEOPLE That rings have poached the public lands manipulated entries perpetrated ingenious frauds in contract and scrip surveying and in other ways defrauded the people and tho Government is a fact too well known to need argument That these land rings should be broken up to prevent future exploits ex-ploits in the same direction is a necessity acknowledged by the whole country That they can only be broken up by pursuing them with the penalties provided by law would seem to be selfevident That such pursuit is attended by the gravest difficulties difficul-ties and in the face of strong financial and political influence is confirmed by the experience ex-perience of all who havo undertaken itAlia it-Alia California The above extract from the Alta is pertinent It is a Democratic view and therefore a national one It is a statement state-ment of facts with which the people have long been familiar and facts which the people wish wiped out That rings have poached the public lands perpetrated perpe-trated ingenious frauds in contract and scrip surveying and in other ways defrauded de-frauded the people and the Government n is a fact too well known for argument It is a fact which has long been a standing disgrace to the Nation It is a fact which has been made a part and parcel of Republican Re-publican rule or rather misrule It is a fact to which Republicanism was for long years largely indebted to for corruption supplies In fact it was Republicanism itself for the system of land corruption was created and maintained by the Republican Re-publican party Under no other power was it known and with the downfall of Republican Administration came the righteous attack on the organized land plunder This attack was made by a Democratic Administration And that it should be made was one of the leading motives inspiring the people in the elevation eleva-tion of the Democracy to power It is the people who are attacking the land frauds The public lands are the heritage heri-tage of the masses and the masses are wresting their birthright from thieves It is tho people who are the assailants It is the Nation who is assaulting the rotten rings and corrupt corporations And the assault will succeed suc-ceed as will everything else the eople are in earnest about In the same ar i > T > ticle from which we have made an extract ex-tract the Alta cites the case of a Republican Repub-lican special land agent under Arthurs administration who discovered far reaching land frauds in California The agent was honest and zealous and pushed his discoveries His zeal in doing his duty speedily reached the ears of the Republican administration he served and he was rewarded by summary dismissal from his position Under the present Administration Adminis-tration these same frauds have been taken up at the point the overzealous Republican special agent left them have been vigorously pushed and a large namber of land thieves have just been indicted by a Federal grand jury And so the good work goes on Corrupt Cor-rupt rings and corporations have got to go and the rings and corporations of the corrupt Republican land system are especially a stench in the nostrils of the people Republican venom is wasted on Land Commissioner Sparks In tne first place his honesty has only contempt I tempt for those who defend corruption and in the next place he is but the effective instrument of a Democratic I Administration and the Democratic i Administration has the Nation at its back Mr Sparks may have made mistakes mis-takes Mistakes are natural But Mr Sparks mistakes have been incidental and isolated They cut no figure in the great scheme of reformation he is so energetically and effectually carrying to a final and glorious consummation |